All Blacks star Conrad Smith has admitted that he would be open to the idea of joining Munster should he decide to move abroad after next year's World Cup.

The gifted centre revealed ahead of New Zealand's clash with Ireland in Dublin on Saturday that he has fond memories of the province from the Kiwis' last visit to Ireland, when they defeated Munster 18-16 in a game arranged to mark the opening of the new Thomond Park.

Indeed, Smith confessed that the prospect of linking up with former All Blacks team-mates Doug Howlett and Sam Tuitupou in Limerick would be "appealing".

"I wouldn't rule it out," he said. "I got a taste of Munster when we came over the last time and I was impressed. The passion they have for rugby is pretty strong; it was cool. I'm a player that is fuelled by passion. I'm not particularly big or fast; I need to really believe in who I'm playing for.

"I need to play where I'm passionate about and I grew up wanting to play for the Hurricanes and the All Blacks and I feel that if I played for a random team over there (Europe), the same drive wouldn't be there. For now, I'm happy playing in New Zealand but it is pretty appealing."